Datsun 240z Safari car by Tamiya

[bravo1jon]

Welcome to my first build thread. I am new to this so please let me know how or what i can do to make this better.

Since I will build 2 more 1/12 Porsche kits I thought what a great time to build this so I can stay in the scale while I impatiently wait for the parts to arrive. While the Porsche kits are new re-releases this one saw its re-release in 2005 form its original release date in 1973. No matter how old the kit is though its far and above in detail and quality. I wont do much to this kit other than the usual detail stuff. 

Hope you enjoy the build as much as I will.






We start with the Suspension and brakes. The only thing I would watch out for here would be the steering assembly. Use as little glue as possible and mind where you put it you don't want to get any on those gears.


















I use Alclad 2 for just about all of my metal work. I use a simple burnt umber wash to add a realistic look. I also add a little AK Asphalt pigment to the wash before it dries. This effect looks more worn in than surface dirt. In fact I use this technic often. Mixing pigments with wet washes. Try it on aluminum areas mixing burnt umber with Vallejo light slate grey pigment. Once the was and pigment is dry ill come back with a black and raw umber wash in spots for grease and oil.

Notice I also added an LED light to the spot light on the bumper. I thought this kit would look pretty cool if all the spots light up. I use mega size LED's 5mm.

Next up is the engine. Again not much to change because the kit is so well done. 

[dogfish7 (R.I.P.)]

Cool. These kits are hard to come by.

[bravo1jon]

Yes they are. I was not only lucky to even find one but at a reasonable price. I hope this kit is on the re-release list at Tamiya. I heard the next big series kit will be the Brabham BT44B.

[JCON]

Nice start buddy!!!

[bravo1jon]

Made a lot of progress today. Nearly a rolling chassis.

First thing I had to tackle was the body and frame got painted. I don't typically paint the body till the end but this build needed it this way as you will see later.

Talking about the subject of paint. I use Gravity for all my car and bike builds. The paint is accurate, airbrush ready, they ship to the USA and their 3 part clear is amazing. For this build they had the exact paint for the Datsun Safari.








Next up was fitting the suspension on the chassis. This was very tricky just make sure to follow the steps in order or you wont be able to get them in after. 






The last thing for the day was getting the engine in the frame. After trying forever to get the engine in with the motor mounts on the frame but I just could make it work. Thankfully we only tac glued the mounts so I could removed them easily. Once I put them on the block it went right in. Also be sure to test fit the drive-shaft to the tranny. It was off on mine.






That's it for today. Thank you all so much for the nice comments yesterday. I really do appreciate.

[BUCKY]

Great looking details! I didn't get an idea of how big this is until I saw the chassis in your hand. And the red paint looks really slick!

[bravo1jon]

Thanks Keith. I really enjoy the size of the 1/12's but they sure suck up the materials. The amount of Alclad I have been going through is crazy.

[dogfish7 (R.I.P.)]

What a shine!

[DPNM]

Very nice start on this Jon. I love the subject matter. I owned a few Z and ZXs back in the day. That's when I really learned how to drive.

I'm looking forward to more of this build as I'm shifting my model focus to larger scale. It's good to see it being done and I can use the information to help my builds.

[JCON]

Beautiful job so far my friend!!! I too love that color on it!!!

[bravo1jon]

The chassis and engine are now complete. I applied some weather to the undercarriage but I'll wait until the display base is done so everything matches. As I stated before my approach to weathering is simple oil washes and pigments. 

Next step is the interior where I will show how I use LED lights.

[dogfish7 (R.I.P.)]

I can see, you even greased the zeros and topped off the battery and radiator!

[JED]

Great work Jon

[JCON]

Excellent use of weathering!!!

[bravo1jon]

With the interior completed I began to weather it. My approach to weathering begins by creating environment rules such as

What stage is the car in? Is it brand new? Is it in the race or did it just finish?

Where is the race at? Africa? USA? 

What is the weather or season?

What is the ground surface? Sand? Dirt? Gravel? 


By establishing these rules/story it keeps me focused on the continuity using a predetermined color pallet. The rules for this build are:
The car is an operating race car with a few races under its belt. They are in the East African Safari but a tire has blown so they must change it. This was done a lot by rally car drivers. Its daylight and summer. The ground surface is a mix of sand ang gravel. Here are some racing reference photos I will use.










Here are some of the pigments and oils I will use:





Interior: Although this kit comes with 2 driver figures I'm not a huge fan of drivers in my cars. I do however like creating scenes outside the vehicle so look for something there. Same thing with the jacks and tools in the back. They will be part of a scene I plan to build on the display base.











Paint and decals: I was very impressed how good the decals were especially how old the kit is. 









That's it for now but more to come soon. Thank you all for the wonderful comments I'm humbled and realize I've got a long way to go after looking at the level of work on this site. 

[dogfish7 (R.I.P.)]

Truly amazing!

[JED]

Quality job Jon

[bravo1jon]

Car is mostly done now. Next step will be my favorite part the display base. As you can see in the pics I'll be doing a tire change with a couple of figures and other elements.

Thanks again for looking and letting me be part of this fun site.

[dogfish7 (R.I.P.)]

Those 1/12 scales look 1:1! Awesome work.

[JCON]

Amazing work and so happy you finally came in the door to join us Jon!!! You are a wonderful addition to our model family here!!!